15 Spooky Halloween classroom games & activities

In this guide

• Setting the scene: classroom décor and Halloween safety tips
• Fun and spooky Halloween classroom games and activities for all ages
  • 1. Pumpkin decorating
  • 2. Pin the tail on the black cat
  • 3. Musical broomsticks
• Creative Halloween-themed activities across subjects
  • 4. Character costumes
  • 5. Tales of horror
  • 6. Ghastly ghost stories
  • 7. Witch word problems
  • 8. Calculating candy
  • 9. History of Halloween trivia
  • 10. Historic headstones
  • 11. Spin like a spider
  • 12. Spooky scary skeletons
• Celebrations that promote teamwork and inclusion
  • 13. Coordinated class costumes
  • 14. Teaming up
  • 15. Role play

Looking for some fun October classroom ideas? Look no further! I’ve rounded up some of the best spooky school games and Halloween classroom activities that are sure to get your students into the spirit of all things Halloween. 

Setting the scene: classroom décor and Halloween safety tips

Halloween is a whole vibe, so you’ll want to make sure your classroom is on point. 

You can pick up simple classroom decor in Halloween shapes and colours from any shop – or, even better – have your students help make the space their own through simple art projects that double as decor.  

Some simple approaches include:

• Using black construction paper to cut out spooky bats or spider shapes.
• Using orange construction paper and markers to draw pumpkins.
• Using colourful tissue paper to make streams and other types of party decorations.

Now that your classroom is suitably spooky, you’ll want to go over some ground rules with your students to ensure their classroom Halloween celebrations are safe and enjoyable. 

For Halloween lovers, the celebration lasts all of October, so try to make time for this discussion early on in the month.

Every school and classroom is different, so you’ll know best what you need to address with your students. As a starting point, here are some of the things I would consider when it comes to Halloween safety in my classroom:

Costumes

Your school may or may not allow students to wear costumes. 

If getting dressed up is on the table, make sure your students know that the school dress code still applies. That likely means things like no super short skirts or bare midriffs. 

Accessories

Prop weapons are definitely a no-go in a school environment. 

Masks that cover a large part of the face or obscure vision can also be distracting and potentially unsafe. 

Other costume accompaniments may incur tripping hazards.

Sweets

It’s not uncommon for sweets to be everywhere during the Halloween season. 

Be sure to make yourself aware of any nut allergies or other food restrictions that may exist in your classroom, and make appropriate rules regarding possession and consumption. 

Fun and spooky Halloween classroom games and activities for all ages

Do you want to play a game? (Although maybe save the horror movie references for the teachers’ lounge).

Here are some fun and simple Halloween classroom activities you can do with your students:

1) Pumpkin decorating

Nothing says Halloween tradition like making your own spooky pumpkin!

Carving pumpkins can be a huge mess – and potentially dangerous –  so if you’re looking to avoid all that you can substitute art supplies like acrylic paints, markers, stickers, and whatever else you have access to. 

Your students will still have a blast creating their own custom pumpkin creation. 

Display their finished work around the classroom for some bonus Halloween decor! 

2) Pin the tail on the black cat

The classic children’s party game, Pin the Tail on the Donkey, just got a spooky makeover. 

Your students can work in pairs or as a team to guide a blindfolded classmate to their target. 

Team-building, trust, and fine motor skills are all in play through this simple game. 

You’ll need a large outline of a black cat, a tail (preferably made of something fluffy!), and something sticky to get the tail to stay on.

3) Musical broomsticks 

This one requires a little imagination (unless you happen to have a couple dozen broomsticks lying around!). This is a spin on musical chairs, so anything your students can safely sit on will work. 

Place the seats around your classroom in an open space with no tripping hazards. There should be one fewer seat than students playing. 

Play some music and encourage your students to slowly walk around the space. 

When you pause the music, they have to grab a broomstick (seat)! Anyone left standing is out of the game. 

Remove more seats each round as the number of players gets smaller and smaller.

I suggest playing exclusively Halloween music to get into the spirit!

Creative Halloween-themed activities across subjects

If you’re looking for something more aligned with your curriculum, I got you. 

Here are some ideas for activities and lessons that tie into different academic subjects:

English

4) Character costumes

Dressing up can be both fun and educational! 

Ask your students to come to school dressed as their favourite literary character. 

You can make this more academic by requiring them to give a short presentation about the character and why the student chose them.

5) Tales of horror

October is a fantastic time to delve into some spooky literature. There are plenty of scary short stories to read as a class, or if appropriate, consider reading some gothic horror together. 

You might also consider a longer unit using classic works like ‘The Crucible’ or  ‘Frankenstein’, and just about anything written by Edgar Allen Poe.

6) Ghastly ghost stories

Challenge your students to write their own scary story. This can be assigned as an assessment or just for fun. 

Once the stories are written, see if any of your students are up for performing a dramatic reading or re-enactment to really get into the spirit!

Maths

7) Witch word problems

Make your maths practice more festive by adding a spooky theme! 

Word problems can easily be adjusted to be Halloween-themed. For example, if a witch needed to brew a potion for one but only had a recipe that serves four, what fraction of the recipe should she prepare?

8) Calculating sweets

Both delicious and decorative, this volume study is sure to be a hit during your classroom Halloween celebration!

Add Halloween themed sweets to a large jar and ask your students to estimate the number inside. 

Challenge them to practise their mathematical skills to make an educated guess.

History & Social Studies

9) History of Halloween trivia

Halloween has been around for a very long time, although it’s celebrated differently across different time periods and cultures. 

I highly recommend taking some time to teach your students the history of Samhain if you can! 

You can also keep things more general. Test your students’ knowledge of all things Halloween by playing a trivia game with them. 

Some topics you can include are:

• Origins of the holiday.
• Cultural celebrations and traditions.
• Halloween in pop culture.
• Candies and treats.
• Spooky animal facts.

10) Historic headstones

This is super convenient for history class because you can adapt it to any time or place in history. 

Create “headstones” for historic figures that include dates for their birth and death, as well as an epitaph that will act as a clue to their identity. 

Be sure not to include a name!

The purpose of this activity is for students to consider relevant historical context and activate their prior knowledge to identify who the headstone belongs to. 

Here’s an example:

• 1732-1799
• “I cannot tell a lie.”

This headstone belongs to George Washington! 

You can get as creative as you like with visuals. 

A simple way to make a convincing headstone is by using a dark colored marker on gray construction paper and rounding the edges on one side to look like a tombstone. 

Science

11) Spin like a spider

Spiders are both Halloween-level spooky and master engineers. 

Using yarn or something similar, your students can practise designing their own creative spider webs. They might not even realise they’re learning as they create!

12) Spooky scary skeletons

This is a great way to study biology and evolutionary traits. Your students will practise identifying and classifying different species based on skeletal clues like skull structure and the shape of the teeth. 

I’m partial to those decorative skeletons of cats and possums they sell around Halloween, but you can just as easily run an internet search for relevant images to compare and contrast.

Celebrations that promote teamwork and inclusion

Finally, if you’re looking for spooky Halloween classroom activities that are inclusive and encourage teamwork and team building among your students, look no further. 

13) Coordinated class costume

Deciding on a group costume is an easy way to ensure that everyone involved feels valued while limiting the pressure of coming up with a novel idea. 

Choose a character, story, or other theme for your students to interpret into a costume. 

Plan a day to wear them and flaunt your stuff in a class-wide costume parade!

14) Teaming up 

Competition stemming from games can be scary and isolating. 

Take the pressure off by playing Halloween classroom games in teams! 

Some spooky school games to consider as part of your inclusive classroom celebrations are:

• Halloween-themed relay races.
• Scary scavenger hunts.
• Monster pictionary.

15) Role play

Role playing games provide an outlet for students to express themselves without the fear of having to say the “right” thing. 

Encourage “yes, and…” responses as you make up spooky stories, solve a murder mystery, or play scary charades with your students. 

Halloween is a favourite holiday for students of all ages. As you consider your Halloween party ideas for your classroom, be sure to choose activities that are fun, safe, and educational. If possible, take some time to reflect on the history of the holiday with your class and discuss why we celebrate it today.